Important Words

So Miles isn't really talking yet, but it sure seems like he started saying 2 words the past couple of days.  Uh-oh and no.  Any guess what I say to him most of the time?  They say if you talk to your kids a lot they learn language faster.  So it makes sense to me the words they learn first/fastest are 1. those that enable them to get what they want (mama, dad, please, etc.) or 2. those that they hear the most.  I guess I need to expand my repertoire of what I say to Miles throughout the day. But really, what else do you say when they thrown their food, pull all the toilet paper off the roll, bite (lovingly, but ouch!), take all the fake moss-stuff from the plant pot and spread it around the room, eat dirt, try to stick their fingers in light sockets, or get into the garbage and start playing with its contents (and that was just this morning!).  

Any ideas?...  One day I will get a "ma-ma," I just know it.

Summer Fun

Here is a pictures-only (mostly) post of some more of what we did this summer:

(More on that later)

If you hadn't noticed, there isn't a single picture of me.  I was there for all of that.  But I bet you can guess what I was doing. 

Catching Up

Has it really been almost 2 months since I last blogged?   SO much has happened, and I took so many pictures, many of them with my blog in mind, but I guess that's why I haven't had time to blog about them, I've been doing them.  So in all honesty, as sorry as I am that I am so behind, that really is a more than fair trade-off.  

I have high hopes (but terribly low expectations) that I am going to go into greater detail and show you more pictures regarding all of the happenings this past summer in later blogs.  But in the interest of just covering the basics, that's what I am going to do.  In July (sometime), all the sisters-in-law on Sam's side of the family got together and camped at one of the sister-in-law's yard (yes, I said yard.  I could have said property, and I wouldn't have been wrong, but that makes it sound a little more remote than the reality.  You see the cream siding in the picture?  That's her house.)  We put up tents, one sister-in-law made some dutch oven yummy's for dinner and dessert, we started a fire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, the whole bit (and without the help of any males - well except my 9 year-old nephew, he did a lot of the fire-starting).

Henry was the log fetcher.

No, I'm just kidding, but he really wanted to help, it was cute.  We had tons of fun.  Maybe we'll have to make it annual?

Also in July I took Kincaid and Miles and attended my own and my extended family reunions.  I stayed a couple of extra days in Utah to hang out with my sisters.  Its not very often the 5 of us all get together; it was great.  I also hadn't been to my extended family reunion for about 7 years, so it was great to go there and see everyone and show off 2 of my handsome boys.  Below is a 4 generation picture:  My grandma, my mom, me, and the 2 boys.

The beginning of August was busy.  I got back, then got ready for girls camp (I got to be a "unit mom", it was a blast!)  but not before my ten year high school reunion.  That was weird, but a lot of fun.  Even more important though, Miles celebrated his first birthday.  He liked the cake and the presents (and not just the wrapping paper), but he was really just all about the attention.

We tried to squeeze in some other adventures along the way.  Thanks to our good friends we went on a hike. A serious one, in my opinion (although take into consideration the 25 lbs of Miles I have strapped on my back.  That and the fact that I was the adult that was in the worst shape).  It was serious sweat and work and pain, but it was a lot of fun and really beautiful.

In the beginning of September we went to California for Sam's Aunt's wedding and while we were there:

Yep, we got to go to Disneyland.  For now this is the only shot you get to see.  Like I stated earlier, I have high hopes that I get to come back later and post the rest of my great shots and tell you all the details, but for now:  we got to go, and it was so fun.  I was so sad when we were leaving the last night.

Again, the reason for the trip was Sam's Aunt Karen's wedding.  It was in Newport Beach.  It was beautiful:  the temple was beautiful, she was beautiful; I am really glad we got to go.  While we were there and all dressed up, matching and at this point still somewhat unstained, I tried to get a family picture.  This was the best one.  It's realistic and represents us though, right?

We missed the first day of school while we were gone, but when we got back Kincaid got to go to his first day of First Grade.  He was so excited to take his lunch and get back on the bus.  He loves it.

Next, I celebrated my birthday.  I won't say how old I am (not that I am worried about getting old...) just that I will be staying this age for most of the rest of my life. 

A few days after my birthday Sam and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary.  (I still feel 17, and yet all of a sudden I have been married for 8 years, have 3 kids, and already went to my 10 year class reunion?  This is really weird for me.)  Sam's parents graciously took the boys for us for 24 hours straight (the first time we've been alone for 24 hours straight in I don't-know-how long).  We went out to eat, shopped, worked out together, cooked together, shopped some more (can you tell who was the gracious adapting spouse?), and just enjoyed having some time together where we could actually focus on just each other for awhile and not have to divide our attention.  It was wonderful.

So much has happened this past summer, so much more than I wrote.  This picture, though, is worth a thousand words.  We all felt this way at times, and I think Miles felt this way most of the time (I have several other pictures just like it).

It was all so much fun, but it was a tornado of fun.  It is nice to be back home and starting to get into a routine again.  At least until the rush of birthdays and holidays starts next month.